Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.energy,americast.usa-today.energy From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: energy Mon, Nov 9 1992 Date: Mon, 9 Nov 92 04:44:15 EST Message-ID: 11-09 0000 DECISIONLINE: Energy USA TODAY Update Nov. 9, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network OIL TO RETAIN POLITICAL WEIGHT: Oil executives and watchdog groups are in agreement that oil industry contributions to the Democratic party will ensure political influence during a Clinton presidency, Bloomberg Business News reported Friday. Oil companies gave Republicans three times more money than they gave Democrats during the past two years but still ranked among the top five contributors for both parties. (For more, see special Oil package below.) UNION, COAL OPERATORS TALK: The United Mine Workers and the Bituminous Coal Operators' Association Friday opened contract negotiations covering 210,000 active and retired miners. Major issues: Job security and health care premiums. The current contract expires Feb. 1. Bituminous Coal Operators' Association members produce about 28% of the bituminous coal mined in the USA. N.J. MAY GRAB KEY POSTS: Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., is seeking a seat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, whose jurisdiction covers corporate takeovers to health care. Although Tuesday's election will cost New Jersey some clout, it should pick up some major committee assignments, says Rep. William Hughes, D-N.J. Speaker Thomas Foley, D-Wash., has said he wants all assignments nailed down by January. GROUP QUESTIONS PARK MANAGEMENT: The National Parks Service's neglect of resource management in favor of visitor programs has caused "irreversible degradation" to the USA's national parks, National Parks and Conservation Association president Paul C. Pritchard said Friday. Pritchard, citing an Interior Department report, blamed the Reagan and Bush administration's "deliberate" policy of inaction. ENERGY PIONEER HONORED: California Energy Commission Chairman Charles R. Imbrecht has been named the winner of the 1992 International Augustine Mouchot Prize for his efforts to advance renewable energy. The award was presented Friday at the 11th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference in Montreux, Switzerland. Imbrecht is the fourth recipient and the first American to be honored. UTILITY PROPOSES RATE INCREASE: PSI Energy filed a petition Friday with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission for a 10% to 14% rate hike that would become effective in early 1994. The increase would be PSI's first since 1986 and follows five years of decreasing rates. Cited: Stricter clean-air laws; the cost of maintaining facilities and growing power demands. PSI is the state's largest electricity provider. COAL FUTURES FALL: Crude oil futures fell to 34 cents to $20.30 a barrel Friday on on the New York Mercantile Exchange on indications OPEC producers would not cut production before meeting later this month. OPEC is to meet Nov. 25 in Vienna to discuss adjusting output to match seasonal changes in consumption. LIGHT CRUDE DOWN: December light sweet crude oil futures were 34 cents lower at $20.30 a barrel Friday on the New York Mercantile Exchange. December heating oil was 1.56 cents lower at 57.38 cents a gallon; December unleaded gasoline was 1.13 cents lower at 56.08 cents a gallon; December natural gas was 3.7 cents lower at $2.345 per 1,000 cubic feet. NORTH COAST REPORTS EARNINGS: North Coast Energy Inc. Friday announced that net income for the quarter improved $168,515 to a net loss of $55,356 for the three month period ending Sept. 30 from a loss of $223,871 a year earlier. Revenues for the three months ended Sept. 30 were $1,765,008 compared to $1,889,976 for the three months of the previous year. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON OIL: ATLANTIC RICHFIELD IS TOP DONOR: Big oil never permits ideology to interfere with its desire to influence public policy, says Joshua Goldstein, director of a Center for Responsible Government. The center's study of industry political donations found that Los Angeles-based Atlantic Richfield Co. was the top oil industry contributor of the past two years, giving $375,000 to Republicans and $195,000 to the Democrats. CHEVRON COMES IN SECOND: Chevron followed Atlantic Richfield among industry contributors, the study found. The San Francisco oil giant contributed $225,000 to Republicans and $77,000 to Democrats. Overall, oil and natural gas companies spent $4.7 million on both parties since 1991, says the study. Republicans received $3.6 million of that amount and Democrats got $1.1 million. INTEREST SHIFT PREDICTED: Big oil's total was outdone only by securities and investments firms, which spent $5.3 million overall and was the second highest contributor to Democrats with about $1.5 million. "With the White House and Congress controlled by Democrats, we'll see a shift in giving by oil companies" from mostly Republicans to mostly Democrats, Goldstein says. LEFT OR RIGHT, ACCESS IS KEY: Some executives who say it's too soon to predict loyalty shift admit that access to Washington's decision makers is the goal. "Do we want to promote our business? Dang right we do," said Jay Rosser, a spokesman for Mesa Inc, the T. Boone Pickens' natural gas company that donated $194,600 to Republicans since 1991 and $1,500 to Democrats. (End of package.) Energy Editor: Christopher Goldthwaite. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution purposes violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM